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by Belladonna Andromeda
Summary: KakaNaru. Kakashi and Naruto bond over a cup of sake.


000

Name – Collapse

Genre - Angst/Romance

Style – Centric

Warnings – Yaoi, Bi, Character Death (Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura)

Book/Anime - Naruto

Main Pairing(s) – KakaNaruKaka

One-Sided Pairings – NaruSaku, NaruSasu, KakaSaku, KakaSasu, SakuSasu

Friendship Pairings – Team Kakashi

Summary – Kakashi and Naruto bond over a cup of sake.

Plot – Naruto had never forgiven himself for not being able to save Sasuke. Losing Sakura in the process only made the blow worse. Kakashi is the only one he has left. He tries to become those who Naruto has lost only to have him realize that he's hurting just as much...

000

They had been competing over them right from the start.

At first it was Sasuke. Anyone who watched wouldn't have found anything unusual in the way both Kakashi and Naruto would interact with the young Uchiha.

They, much like Naruto himself, would mistake his constant demand of attention and recognition for healthy teenage rivalry. They would never know that Naruto had underlying intentions that he himself wouldn't discover until later. Because Sakura was pretty, but Sasuke was special in a way that couldn't be expressed in mere words.

They would believe that Kakashi allowed those childish battles between the two because he was too lazy to bother to stop them and maybe he even found them amusing. So when he decided to train Sasuke separately, they thought nothing of it. They would never consider the possibility that he was jealous of how close his two male students had become or how he hoped that the fights would prevent such closeness from ever happening.

Both of them were foolish enough to think that they could save Sasuke from whatever darkness was manifesting within him. And it took years before they realized that they might have been partially to blame for his betrayel.

The darkness within Sasuke had scared them for different reasons.

Naruto was young and naïve, unable to comprehend that his consistent gain of power might not impress Sasuke, but instead, fuel the shadows with steady bursts of bitter jealousy. Realizing too late that Sasuke hadn't needed a hero or even a savior, but a friend and an equal.

Uchiha Sasuke was not the damsel Naruto wanted him to be.

Kakashi, though older and more experienced, was frightened by the concept of love. A fear caused by inner scars of loss, betrayel and regret. He, above all else, wished for history not to repeat itself. This fear and longing was what caused him to fail. He knew that now. He kept forcing his words and believes on him, that might have been too complex for someone so young to understand.

But Uchiha Sasuke was not stupid. He had no intention of regretting anything.

His betrayel left a harsh wound in both of them.

Naruto was left in a sea of denial. He convinced himself that Sasuke was confused, manipulated and lost. He could still be the hero. He could and would still save Sasuke from the demon.

Too naïve to realize there was no 'Sasuke and the demon'. Sasuke _was_ the demon.

Kakashi was left imprisoned in a cage of anger. He was forced to admit to himself that he had failed yet again. He was angry with Sasuke for rejecting him. He was angry with himself for making such stupid mistakes.

Heartbroken and more bitter than ever, Kakashi was haunted by what he had done wrong.

And then came Sakura.

At first, she had just been the pretty girl. Other than being his type and the girl he wanted to go out with Naruto didn't really pay much attention to her unless he was dodging one of her punches. But Sakura grew up, grew prettier and grew stronger. For the first time Naruto saw her as something other than the pretty girl in his team.

Sakura was a kunoichi. She was smart, she was strong. Just like Sasuke, she was special now.

Kakashi didn't really know what to make of Sakura in the beginning. She was handy for breaking up the fights between her comrades if they escalated, but unlike Naruto and Sasuke, she was more concerned about being a girl instead of becoming a powerful one. But then she began to change.

Sakura was a woman. She wasn't interested in power to defeat, overcome or kill. She wanted to heal.

This time, for both of them, the love grew more gradually. It began with curiosity and interest, slowly turning into something more. But this time, they kept it more to themselves, waiting for a response before actually confirming their feelings.

But it soon became difficult.

Sasuke was still out there, and so were the wounds he left behind. And… Kakashi and Naruto weren't the only ones who were wounded.

With Sasuke, they had made the mistake of picturing him to be something he wasn't. With Sakura, they made the mistake of believing the picture she showed them.

Sakura could and would fight anything and anyone… except Uchiha Sasuke.

Naruto liked to pretend he didn't notice. Kakashi knew better than to lie to himself.

The final battle of the war changed everything. After a harsh, merciless fight… Naruto lost.

Sasuke, too weak and injured to stand, refused to forgive Konoha and gathered the last of his chakra to destroy as much of it as he could. Naruto sent a rasenshuriken at him in a fit of panic. Sakura, who's wound had only grown bigger over the years, decided to die with him.

Kakashi could only watch, too exhausted.

Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura were dead. He had whispered something to her before the attack hit. From the movement of his lips it was probably 'run, you fool' or 'not you too'.

Either way, it didn't matter. They were dead. Naruto lost. Kakashi lost. There was nothing left for them.

"To team 7." Naruto croaked, granting his drinking partner a weak smile.

"To team 7." Kakashi repeated softly. "Or whatever's left of it."

"Where's Sai?"

"Proposing to Ino, I heard."

"Oh." Naruto's eyes saddened ever more, "Good for him."

Kakashi wasn't fooled by his laugh. "But not for us. One more down. Two left behind."

Naruto hiccoughed. He turned to Kakashi with angry eyes. "Where is _my_ love?"

Kakashi glanced at him with a slight glare of his own. "Which one? I remember you claiming two."

"What does it matter? Neither loved me enough to live." Naruto snapped. "And yet.. they are always here," He smacked the side of his head with his palm, a pained expression on his face that had nothing to do with the impact. "And they're always smiling as if being dead and away from me is the best thing that ever happened to them."

Kakashi's eyes softened, but he had no idea what to do when he spotted tears running down Naruto's cheek.

"I don't understand." Naruto croaked, "I just… I don't get it."

Naruto is still young, Kakashi realized at that moment, much too young to handle the self-destructive life of a shinobi. He was going to end up just like him one day.

"You still have me." He said, though he regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth.

Naruto looked almost as shocked as he did. "You?" He said uncertainly. "You'll love me?"

Kakashi frowned slightly, unsure of how to respond to that. "I already do." He leaned over the table and pulled down his mask to give the blond a kiss.

Naruto's blinked at him, his eyes wide and his fingers coming up to touch his lips. He frowned in confusion. "But..what?"

Kakashi stared at him. "I'm drunk."

He lied, but Naruto believed him. A mischievous smile spread across his face. "Oh." Naruto replied. "For a moment I thought you had a crush on me."

Kakashi gave him a forced smile in return – _I'm sorry, Naruto, but I'm going to force the remainder of my love on you and I will take the rest of your love for myself… if only to prevent you from collapsing._


End file.
